Shelley Coulter-Smith

Born in Oxford in 1973, Shelley began singing with Mrs Helen Clarke. Continuing her studies at the Royal Northern College of Music with Miss Honor Sheppard, she performed in productions of Donizetti’s Roberto Devereux, Janacek’s Jenufa also singing the Mezzo role in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Opera Greek.
She graduated with a BMus Hons degree.
Professional roles include Proserpina and Adrasto in Cesti’s Il Pomo d’Oro for Musica Nel Chiostro in Italy, Ericlea in Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses and Diana in Rameau’s Hippolytus and Aricia for The Creakes Baroque Sinfonia. In London’s West End Shelley performed the role of Katisha in The Mikado at The Savoy Theatre for D’oyly Carte after which she joined the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus.

In concert she has sung Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder with The Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, and Elgar’s Music Makers for The Barnby Choir.

Shelley has performed extensively in Oratorio throughout the country in works including Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, St. John and St. Matthew Passion, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Schubert’s Mass in A flat, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater and Verdi’s Requiem.

Since moving to Cornwall with her husband and four children Shelley has been invited to appear as guest soloist with Launceston Choral society, Launceston Male voice Choir and in Handel’s Messiah at Truro cathedral. She has also enjoyed being involved in the organisation and performance of numerous charity fundraising concerts.

Shelley has also been fortunate enough to work with SingUp, a national programme promoting singing in primary schools, and Music and the Deaf, working with schools in Cornwall, helping them to compose their own Cornish song cycle which was performed at Truro Cathedral.